


Passive Aggressive Negotiations

by i_paint_the_sky



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Post-Star Wars: The Last Jedi, References to Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-21
Updated: 2019-12-21
Packaged: 2021-02-25 20:42:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21881713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/i_paint_the_sky/pseuds/i_paint_the_sky
Summary: Supreme Leader Kylo Ren travels to Naboo, to try and convince the planet and their allies to join the First Order. Leia goes at the same time, to convince them to support the Resistance instead.
Relationships: Leia Organa & Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Kudos: 11





	Passive Aggressive Negotiations

**Author's Note:**

> I started writing this not too long after The Last Jedi was released, then got distracted by other things. I wasn't sure if I would ever go back to it but, after seeing Rise of Skywalker, I was inspired to finally finish it.
> 
> There are some minor references to Rise of Skywalker but not anything you wouldn't know about from the trailers/opening scroll.

Diplomacy wasn't typically Kylo Ren's first strategy. It was rarely even his plan B. But things were going to change for the new First Order - his First Order - and a new willingness to negotiate in good faith was one of those things. Particularly when negotiations involved the planet of Naboo, home of his grandmother, and that of Emperor Palpatine. It was on this planet that Kylo would begin to create his legacy, the first steps to a future of his own making.

He hadn't counted on the past attempting to derail things.

His shuttle had barely touched down on the planet when he felt her presence. The last time she'd been so near, he'd almost killed her; then she'd almost died. It had been at least one almosts too many.

When he stopped to consider this new information, her being here shouldn't surprise him. She'd always been the one to take big risks when backed into a corner, and the corner had never been so dark and small as the one the Resistance was in now. The only way to keep going was to find allies - or at least convince planets like Naboo not to become enemies. The First Order's risks were less, but the reward was suddenly even more tantalizing: the chance to rip into the Resistance's bared throat.

But first, he would have to out-negotiate his mother.

-

Leia had been at many strange and unusual negotiations in her lifetime, but nothing quite like this one. At the head of the table sat the Queen of Naboo - a position Leia's mother had once held. At the other end, the newly elected Senator Guina, the successor to Thadlé Berenko who was killed in the attack on the Hosnian System. More seats were filled by representatives from the other planets in the Chommell Alliance.

Across the table from her sat her son, the Supreme Leader of the First Order.

It had been an act of desperation to come here. Many had advised against it, unmoved by her argument that the Resistance had nothing to lose at this point. Poe particularly had disagreed on that point, reminding her before she left that there was still something to be lost: her. But as touching as that was, she had to believe that the movement would survive her death, just as it survived losing Han and losing Luke.

She'd known it was possible that Ben would be here, although there had been just as much a chance that she be facing Armitage Hux or another member of the First Order leadership. Still, she prepared as well as she could and had presented a calm exterior when he walked in and took his seat, his black cape reminding her of Darth Vader - no doubt the desired effect.

"On behalf of Naboo and the Chommell Alliance, I thank you both for coming," Queen Thalissa said once everyone was settled. The queen sat at the head of the table, two handmaidens flanking her. The pair looked innocuous in their matched robes, but Leia knew better. They were just as much a part of this meeting as their queen.

"Thank you for the invitation, Your Majesty," Leia replied. "I hope that you-"

"Hope is all these rebels have to offer, and it is a dying hope."

She froze; she couldn't help it. It had been so many years since she heard that voice. She'd even begun to fear that she had forgotten what it sounded like. She hadn't.

"And what does the First Order have to offer?" inquired Senator Guina.

As Ben turned to face the senator, he purposefully avoided looking at Leia. She meanwhile stared directly at him, taking in his appearance. Her eyes were drawn in particular to the scar across his face. She knew about the injury from Rey, but hearing about it was quite different from seeing the evidence firsthand.

Her attention was so fixed on watching her son that she missed hearing the beginning of his response. "...protection for both the entire Chommell system, as well as increased access to trade across the galaxy."

"What about protection from the First Order?" Leia asked, focusing again on her mission. "Or are you expecting children to be offered up willingly to become stormtroopers?"

He looked at her then, and a flood of rage flowed across the table through the Force. She only barely restrained a shudder.

"Our allies don't-"

"Have to worry about their children being stolen in the night? That must be quite a comfort for them to know it only happens on the planets you don't like."

Ben paused, swallowing hard while his anger burned. He turned back to the senator. "It is only a matter of time before the First Order spans the galaxy. Joining with us now assures your planets a seat at the table of power. It would be shortsighted to pass up such an opportunity."

All those around the table glanced at each other with a mixture of contemplation, interest, and, beneath it all, fear. Leia had a feeling that it was going to be a long day.

-

The portrait of Amidala, Queen of Naboo, hung in a spot of honour in the Theed Royal Palace. He had noticed it but hadn't had the time to do more than that. Now, while the Alliance members considered their options, he found himself drawn back to it, staring up at the face of the woman - a girl, really - whom he knew so very little about.

When the truth about his mother's parentage had been revealed, he had become obsessed with learning all he could. With Vader, it had been easy. His life in the Empire was well documented, his legacy known to all. But Padmé Amidala was a cipher. Her public life, both as queen and senator, was recorded, but anything more had either been deleted or never existed. He'd learned all he could, but he wished he knew more.

As he stood in front of the portrait, he found that it didn't offer many more answers. With her ceremonial makeup on, it was difficult to even get a true sense of her appearance, to search for any signs of familial resemblance. If he wanted to see such things, well, there was someone else here he could turn to. And she was coming to find him.

Leia approached slowly, but the familiar footsteps were steady. For the first time in a long while, he wanted his mask. Not that it likely mattered anyway - she'd be able to feel what he felt, even if she couldn't see it.

Finally, she stood beside him, looking up at her mother's face. For a long time, she didn't say anything, and he couldn't find any words of his own. Then … "She was very beautiful."

He hadn't intended to engage, but the question that haunted him spilled out anyway. "How are you alive? I felt-" He stopped, not wanting to remember.

"I reached out to the Force, or maybe it reached out to me. Either way, I pulled myself back onto the ship."

She had the blood of Vader too; it shouldn't surprise him that her Force abilities were so strong, even with what little training she'd had. For a moment he let himself wonder what she could have been. If she'd been able to teach him, if …

But no matter. "They won't join your lost cause."

"You're probably right. But it's not lost until we stop fighting for it." She turned away then but stopped, looking up at the portrait again. "I wish I knew more about her."

He kept staring forward as she left, resisting the urge to watch her and, even more, the urge to follow. As he stood there, he felt something on the edge of his awareness. For a moment, he thought it might be Rey, but no, this was different. Darker and malevolent. First, just a feeling, then a voice: You will come to me.

He forced it away, but he had a feeling that any reprieve would only be temporary.

-

Leia wasn't surprised when the Alliance declined to support the Resistance. After Crait, she had learned to expect the worst, though she couldn't stop hoping for better. She was surprised, however, when she was told that Queen Thalissa wished to see her in private, without even a single handmaiden.

"I am sorry we couldn't offer you anything," Thalissa told her once they were seated. "Naboo has not forgotten our ties to Alderaan. Or, of course, the ones to you personally."

Leia nodded. "I'm sorry as well. I have always enjoyed visiting Naboo, I never expected its people to become an enemy."

The queen smiled. "We are turning down the First Order as well. For the time being, the Alliance will stand on its own. It was not an easy decision, but it is not one I think we shall regret."

Well, at least that was something. "I am very glad to hear it. Unfortunately, that means it is time for me to be on my way." She stood and bowed to the queen solemnly. "May the Force be with you, Your Majesty." As she spoke, she felt Ben's presence slip away and knew he had also left the system. And, despite everything, she found herself wishing that the Force would be with her son as well.

Always.


End file.
